Cupid's Bedtime Stories
by Bystander Effect
Summary: A lot of drabbles on a lot of different pairings. Canon, noncanon, het, yaoi, it's all here.
1. NarutoHinata

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Author's Note: I don't usually like putting these here, but a quick explanation of how the entire fic will be: These will be a series of drabbles or more-than-drabbles, each musing on a relationship in Naruto. No matter how weird or how canon they are. And they're not in any particular order (except the order I wrote them. But I didn't write them in any particular order). So… Here we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 1: Naruto x Hinata**

Hinata had always been a weird girl, Naruto mused.

She always blushed whenever he was nearby, and poked her index fingers together. It was cute. Weird, but cute. And she always seemed shyer and … well, weird. But maybe that was just how girls were. After all, Sakura acted funny too.

But not like Hinata. Hinata's blush made his tummy feel funny. Her shy smile always made him want to take her out to ramen. When she touched her index fingers together, Naruto wanted to pull her hands apart and tell her not to be so shy.

Hinata made Naruto feel different, but in a weird way. In a good weird way. Maybe when he was older, he'd understand. But for now, all he knew was that Hinata made him feel happy, and he just wanted to be with her for awhile.


	2. SakuraNaruto

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 2: Sakura x Naruto**

Naruto is annoying.

The way he always appeared at inopportune moments, or interrupted her sleep to tell her about his dreams, or the way he always insulted Sasuke for no reason is just … infuriating! The way he eats so much, talks with his mouth full, makes perverted comments, and keeps following me is so annoying.

The way he makes he me feel when he touches me, when he fights to protect me, when he gives me a hug, when he showed me the sunset from the top of the monument, and when he gave me my first kiss… Well, that's not annoying. But its something close.

Maybe … He's not so annoying after all.


	3. GaaraLee

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 3: Gaara x Lee**

Gaara's POV:

I feel nothing. I am like sand – it is unbreakable, damaging, and unfeeling. Sand does not feel sorry for crushing your arm and leg. Sand does not feel anything.

Lee, though, is not like sand. Lee is nowhere near sand. Lee is passionate, and he is able to feel. His passion is something I strive for, but am never able to reach. After all, sand is cold. Lee is able to feel both ends of the emotional spectrum, but I cannot.

I do know what I could be feeling. What I should be feeling.

What Lee feels.

What Lee feels when we hug, when we touch, when we kiss, when we watch the sunrise or the clouds or even ducks in a pond. I know what those feelings should be like, but I cannot feel them.

But I have come to realize that it doesn't matter, because when I am doing these things with Lee, Lee feels enough for me to feel, as well.


	4. SasukeShino

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 4: Sasuke x Shino**

Itachi had a peculiar way of infuriating Sasuke. Sometimes, Sasuke would get so mad that all he could do was glare at the trees in front of him with his incomplete sharingan spinning wildly about in his eyes. His hands would clench and unclench almost as though he could not control them, and it would be difficult for him to breathe. It would be an understatement to say that he bore a grudge.

It was times like this, though, that the bugs would come. It would start with one, crawling around the back of his hand, asking if he was all right. Sasuke would merely clench and unclench, because he could not understand the language of bugs. And then, more and more would circle around him, until through the trees, a pair of black sunglasses and a large white coat covering Shino's frame would appear. Shino would then sit next to him. He would never say or do anything. His bugs would crawl between them both, and Sasuke somehow felt soothed by the sensation of the bugs along his arms and legs.

Sooner or later, Sasuke would calm down, and the two would part ways. But this time was different. As Sasuke was standing up, Shino spoke.

"I love you."

Sasuke hesitated, mid-step, and chose his words carefully.

"Me too."

This time, the two walked back to town together.


	5. ItachiLee

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 5: Itachi x Lee**

Lee wondered what use Itachi could possibly have for him. Perhaps he was being used as bait. Lee was currently in a Akatsuki "prison", which seemed to him a normal room, save for the fact that it was underground. He would have figured that the Akatsuki would have the worst prisons, but this was very nice, for a prison.

Today, Itachi had come in and stood at the door. Itachi had no protection from Lee, but the formidable fighter probably had no need for it. All Itachi did was stand in front of the closed door, staring at Lee.

Lee felt uncomfortable under the stare. "What?" he asked.

After a few seconds, Itachi spoke. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do you make me feel something other than hate?"

The words struck Lee dumb, and when he finally found his words, Itachi had disappeared. So instead of speaking, or going on a long soliloquy, Lee just smiled. If another person were in the room, he would have noticed the blush that tinged his cheeks.


	6. GaaraShikamaru

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 6: Gaara x Shikamaru**

Gaara was troublesome, Shikamaru decided.

Gaara, the Kazekage from the Sand Village, was not a person to be trifled with. Not even counting his incredible abilities as a Shinobi, Gaara had, locked inside of him, a demon. Thus, Shikamaru deemed Gaara too high rank and too dangerous for him – thusly, troublesome.

But Shikamaru did not stop Gaara from watching the clouds with him. Shikamaru did not stop Gaara from watching him. In fact, Shikamaru did not really want to stop him. Shikamaru was actually (dare he say it) excited with Gaara's rough palm slid over his own. Shikamaru felt a tingle of excitement (but only a tingle!) when he felt sand brushing over his cheek. Shikamaru let out a (totally NOT fan girlish) contented sigh after each meeting with the red haired Kazekage.

Yes, Shikamaru thought, Gaara sure was troublesome.


	7. KibaSakura

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 7: Kiba x Sakura**

Kiba is possessive. It is his way, and it is the way of his clan. Things were clearly marked, and if something belonged to someone, nobody else touched it. So his attack on Naruto was understandable. Naruto often heckled _his_ girl, spoke of his love for _his_ woman, and in general just annoyed her.

One day, as Kiba watched _his_ girl's team interact, he saw how Naruto treated _his_ girl. And it infuriated him to no end. So he did what any other alpha male would do – he defended his property.

Sakura had been touched, amused even, but scolded him for jumping hastily into a fight. After all, Naruto was stronger than Kiba. But Kiba didn't care, though the cuts and bruises singed his pride. Naruto now knew his place, and wouldn't mess with Kiba's Sakura anymore.


	8. OrochimaruSasuke

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 8: Orochimaru x Sasuke**

Sasuke had come to Orochimaru for power, and that made Sasuke Orochimaru's.

Yes, perhaps Orochimaru had given Sasuke a nudge in the right direction, but Sasuke came on of his own volition. And now, Sasuke was Orochimaru's.

Orochimaru traced a bandaged hand along the bone of Sasuke's jaw. "So beautiful…" Orochimaru was not aroused by the fact that Sasuke was several years younger than him. He was not aroused, even, by Sasuke's good looks. It was the power inside of Sasuke, and the power that would soon be his.

As Sasuke fought his natural instinct to run, Orochimaru reflected that it was also his control over the young sharingan user that aroused him. Perhaps, if Orochimaru was given enough time, he could control the boy so completely that _Sasuke_ would know that he was Orochimaru's.

And Orochimaru had three long years to try.

Orochimaru's serpent smile was hidden, but Sasuke shivered anyway.


	9. ItachiHina

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 9: Itachi x Hinata**

Hinata was different from the rest. When Itachi pressed a kunai against her throat, instead of screaming or crying, she laughed.

"Do it," she dared him. Her voice held a touch of bitterness and a lot of self-loathing.

Itachi merely stood there, one strong arm wrapped around Hinata's body, the other holding a kunai against her throat. He took a brief moment to muse on the irony – one hand held her, the other threatened to kill her.

"Do it, Uchiha. Everybody will thank you."

Itachi instead removed the kunai and spun the girl around, his impassive red eyes staring into her angry white ones. Again, the irony – white was supposed to be impassive, and red was supposed to be angry.

"What are you waiting for?" Hinata seemed irritated. "I'm not doing anything." Not quite irony, but Itachi thought about how it was the soon-to-be-victim asking the killer to kill. After a few more seconds of thinking, Itachi smirked. He pulled the girl close to him, very close, and kissed her.

Itachi rather liked irony.


	10. LeeHinata

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 9: Lee x Hinata**

Lee was a frequent visitor. Often he burned himself out training for a day, then he would be carried into Hinata's room by Neji, who expected her to take care of him. Hinata, being the healer that she was, could not say no. Besides, he was a good guinea pig.

When Lee woke, he usually thanked Hinata with a hug, an impossibly large smile, and a thumbs up. And really, that had been all she needed. She did not look for more – Naruto still loomed in her mind, a large crush she could not get over, despite how impossible she knew it was.

But more and more often, as Lee lay unconscious on her bed, she found herself thinking of Naruto less and less. She stared at Lee when he was there, and often thought of him when he wasn't. Naruto, though still a big tug on her heart, was slowly diminishing, to be replaced by the irrepressible Rock Lee.

Hinata smiled. That had a nice ring to it. Maybe the next time he was dumped unceremoniously in her room, she'd tell him that. And maybe he'd give her a kiss, call her cute, and go out to train again. Or, maybe she was just dreaming.

Well, it wasn't against the law to dream, and it was a nice fantasy.


	11. SakuraHinata

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

A/N: Oy! So sorry about the wait. I fell into a horrible case of writers block, and then started playing games, which led to me writing even less. Then, it was finals week, and now I'm all rested up and recharged. Hopefully these next three chapters will satiate you guys. Sorry once again!

Oh… another thing. I know you guys want me to write some pairings, and I'm really sorry that I haven't been. They'll come, eventually.

**Chapter 10: Sakura x Hinata**

Hinata and Sakura both reached for the stars, but had gotten burned and fallen along the way. Hinata by Naruto, and Sakura by Sasuke. So now, they were alone, unwanted, but together.

It was a bitter sort of reassurance the two girls received from each other – the reassurance that the fire hadn't burned them alive, only most of their being. But, at least, they had each other. They weren't alone, but it really didn't matter.

Deep down, they both knew that the other wanted the man who had denied her. But they were together, united by their shared pain. Each hug was hollow, each kiss tried to drain the life from each other. But their relationship of pain was still there, and both Sakura and Hinata had to admit that without it, they would fall apart.

Even though it hurt for them to be together, it hurt more to be apart, so they stayed.


	12. SakuraSasuke

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 11: Sakura x Sasuke**

Sasuke's kisses were never gentle. They were like the rest of him – cold, fierce, and demanding. Sakura endured, for something deeper than superficial lust. Despite his cold eyes, turned shoulder, and ever-present back, she remained.

Sasuke came to her when he needed her, and never the other way around. Sakura would never dream of speaking to Sasuke unless he wanted it. She would never dare to approach his house. But he came, often, in the middle of the night, filled with anger with no outlet. And so, she was here for him.

She took his abrasive kisses and bruising fingers and said not a word. She didn't even cry anymore when he almost-not-really forced sex(after all, if he wanted it, so did she – or at least, that's what she kept telling herself). But it still hurt to wake up and find the other half of her bed empty, to see him leave, to feel him be so cold. But she had to make certain sacrifices for Sasuke, to stay with him. She suffered through Sasuke's displacement for one reason – love. Sakura loved him, and she never doubted it.

She just wondered why it had to hurt so much.


	13. SakuraIno

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 11: Sakura x Ino**

"Here." Sakura offered a ribbon. Ino stared down at its stark redness.

"Why?" Ino questioned. Still, she gently clasped the ribbon and brought it to her chest. The material was soft and silky, but durable.

"You gave me a ribbon, long ago." Sakura looked down at her feet and nervously scuffed her toe against the ground. "So I thought I should…" she trailed off.

Ino stood in silence for a moment. She rubbed the fabric with her thumb. "Sakura…"

She gently lifted Sakura's head with her hand. Sakura , though blushing, still met her eyes.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan." Ino smiled and gently kissed the pink-haired ninja.

The ribbon tightly grasped in Ino's hand was like their relationship – it was strong, and although it may tear in places, it would never be too late to patch it up.

Sakura smiled.


	14. LeeSakura

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 12: Lee x Sakura**

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Lee's voice cuts through your self-pitying musings. You don't say anything, in hopes he'll go away and leave you to brood alone. Instead, he sits down beside you and stares up at the sky.

"The clouds seem… youthful." Lee's awkward attempt at conversation makes you want to smile, but you resist. You _must_ stay here and mourn Sasuke, and mourning means no smiling. Lee lets out a cough when you don't reply quickly enough, which only makes the moment more awkward.

"I guess." Your reply is clipped, almost monosyllabic. Before Sasuke had ran away (took a break, you remind yourself firmly), this would have been an awkward moment, but now it was a comfortable silence.

After a moment, Lee speaks. "Sasuke's departure hasn't only affected you." The words sound almost offensive, but the look on Lee's face is so … so _caring_ that you take no umbrage. Instead, you nod for a little bit.

"You're right."

He is.

Lee puts a bandaged hand on your shoulder and you stare at it for a moment. Its a reassuring movement, to remind you that you're still here, even though Sasuke left you and Naruto hadn't brought him back yet.

Without really knowing why, you lean into his arm, until your shoulder touches his chest. A well-muscled arm awkwardly places itself on your shoulders, and you realize that all of a sudden, you're not thinking about Sasuke anymore.

It isn't quite a relationship yet, but it's a start.


	15. NejiItachi

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 12: Neji x Itachi**

I'm the Hyuuga family genius. My ninja skills are unmatched, except maybe by Naruto (and I'm willing to bet that it's more luck than anything). Nothing scares me.

So why am I paralyzed with one look from the Uchiha family genius?

His red eyes, swirled with black, seem to pin me with their blankness. Or it could be the kunai pinning my jacket to the tree. But even then, it's the fire that pins me to my spot.

"Hyuuga." His voice is softer than I imagined, bland and uninflected.

"Uchiha." I try to mimic his tone, but I think I don't succeed, because a slow smirk crawls over Itachi's face.

Calloused hands grab my own and trap them above my head. Dark hair brushes my cheek.

A whisper. "How does it feel to be powerless?"

His breath against my neck makes me shiver in equal parts fear and arousal.

I say nothing. I'm holding my breath, to see whether I live or die.

Surprisingly soft lips crash against my own, a leg presses against mine, a tongue snakes through my lips and teeth… and then, nothing.

Just air.


	16. SasukeItachi

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 12: Sasuke x Itachi**

"I've come to kill you."

Itachi stares, and Sasuke fights not to fidget. He repeats himself: "I've come to kill you."

Itachi makes a lazy movement with his hand that somehow ends in a kunai pointed at Sasuke's forehead, covered by a forehead protector scored with a musical note.

"Come and get me, little brother."

Sasuke runs forward, aiming a chakra-enhanced punch at his brother. His hand only gazes fabric. Too late, he realizes his brother moved out of the way. His eyes follow, and his body is trying to make the adjustments to change direction when Itachi pokes him hard in the forehead. Sasuke stumbles backwards, a little.

"Maybe next time, little brother." Itachi smiles that infuriating smile Sasuke hadn't seen since before the massacre.

Sasuke lets out a wordless, angry yell, and runs at Itachi again, only to be tackled and pinned to the wall.

"I said, maybe next time." Itachi is still wearing that mockery of a smile, and Sasuke shouts at him. He's not sure what he's shouting, but he's shouting something.

And then Itachi kisses him, and Sasuke shuts up.

He tries to speak, and only manages an incomprehensible sputtering. Itachi laughs, and Sasuke is reminded of wind chimes.

Itachi kisses Sasuke again, who doesn't fight it – actually returns it, because for some reason, Sasuke needed it.

"I'm still going to kill you," Sasuke swears. But his voice is weak.

"Next time." Itachi smiles, and is gone in the blink of an eye.


	17. KakashiItachi

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 13: Kakashi x Itachi**

You're being watched again.

You decide to put away _Icha Icha Paradise_ (an oldie, but a goodie, you always say. Although, anything with naked people is a goodie to you), and instead call out to whoever is watching you. The past few times, the feeling of being watched hadn't been as intense as they were now, but whoever was watching was so close, you can imagine their chakra bearing down on you.

"You can come out."

A swish of fabric sounds behind you.

"Hatake Kakashi."

You smile behind your mask. Was that a trace of desperation beneath the monotone voice? You're probably imagining it, but you don't really care.

"Itachi." You don't bother with his last name – he knows it, why should you say it?

You turn around to meet (dead sexy) missing-nin. He's staring at you with those deep red eyes, and you boldly stare into them. In a few graceful steps, he's in front of you, close enough to touch (or kiss). A kunai is clenched in his hand. You're reflected in his scratched forehead protector.

You decide to forget messing with the whole good guy-bad guy thing. You know what you want, and you know what he wants. Who could resist such lustrous lips?

Not you. You kiss him through your mask, quickly and teasingly.

He whips the kunai to your throat. But you laugh. He does this every time. Silly S-rank criminal.

"I could kill you." You say the words with him. He's so predictable. But definitely unstable – if he were stable, he wouldn't be the S-rank criminal that he is.

You pull his hand away from your throat. "I know." Your smile is cheeky, and even though its hidden, you know that Itachi knows it is there. "Why can't you just bring me flowers instead of death threats, like every other boyfriend?"

Itachi hates it when you refer to him as your boyfriend, but that's what he is, and you're sticking to it. Itachi, predictably, only blinks owlishly at you. You pull him into a hug, and Itachi whispers, "I missed you."

Finally. He's done with the whole psycho-murderer imitation. You smile. "Me too."


	18. KankuroTenten

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 13: Kankuro x Tenten**

Tenten knew a lot about weapons. If anything with a sharp, pointy end were to be placed in her hand, she could throw it with deadly precision into the center of a target, whether it were moving or not. She was, after all, the weapons expert.

Kankuro knew a lot about weapons. He didn't physically handle them, but he handled his puppets, deadly weapons in their own right, with his chakra. If pressed, he could puppeteer anything, with the same amount of control as if it were one of his puppets. He was, after all, the puppet master.

However, even Tenten had her off days. She understood the frustration of when a kunai flew feet from its intended target. She never blamed the wind, or some other malevolent force. She merely picked up the wayward weapons and tried to correct her mistakes.

However, even Kankuro had his off days. He understood the frustration of chakra strings suddenly unraveling, or moving the puppet in a different way than he had expected. He never blamed the puppet, or some other malevolent force. He just re-forged the chakra string and tried to correct his mistakes.

Tenten knew it would not be a good idea for her and Kankuro to team – they were both long distance fighters, and they needed a melee fighter to guard them.

Kankuro knew it would not be a good idea for her and Tenten to team – he was curious about her, and she was curious about him, and in his experience, that kind of tension within a cell was enough to tear it apart.

But they teamed up anyway, if only for one mission. And, perhaps, that was the worst – and best – decision they had ever made.

It was the best decision Tenten had ever made because she knew she would always remember her first kiss, hiding from missing-nin in a narrow cave, so narrow that she and Kankuro were almost on top of each other.

It was the best decision Kankuro had ever made because he knew he would always remember his first kiss, painfully shy but eager, brief out of necessity but somehow hours long.

It was the worst decision they had ever made because it hurt so much to see the far away silhouette of the one they loved going back home.


	19. NejiSakura

**Cupid's Bedtime Stories**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not making any money off of this

**Chapter 13: Neji x Sakura**

Neji doesn't tolerate weakness, whether in himself or in anybody else. That's why he hates Sakura. Neji hates Sakura. He doesn't consider hate a weakness – it lends strength in times of need. So, he's allowed to hate Sakura.

He hates Sakura because she makes him weak. She makes his body feel weaker, and sometimes his desire to … to what? To touch her? To… be with her makes him want to stop training. He doesn't understand this odd feeling she causes in him, doesn't know what to do about it, but he knows one thing – it is weakness, and Neji doesn't tolerate weakness.

So he grimly continues training, but he watches the pink-haired kunoichi out of the corner of his eyes, because even though he hates weakness, he can't get rid of it.


End file.
